Aruba debuts cloud-based beacon management mobile solution

Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company, has introduced a cloud-based beacon management solution designed for multivendor Wi-Fi networks and beacon analytics. Aruba also expanded its app developer partner program for the Meridian Mobile App Platform to accelerate innovation of location-based mobile apps.

Since its launch in November 2014, Aruba Mobile Engagement, powered by Aruba Beacons and the Meridian Mobile App platform, has improved customer satisfaction in such diverse organizations as Levi’s Stadium and Orlando International Airport, Aruba said in the news release. Aruba Mobile Engagement directly interacts with customers through their mobile devices based on the customers’ in-venue location and personalized preferences.

The new Aruba Sensor is designed to dramatically reduce IT overhead and make it easy to manage all beacons from a single location. Aruba estimates approximately 48 hours of time savings in a 1,000-beacon deployment during a single maintenance window.

The new enterprise-grade Internet of Things Aruba Sensor combines a small, Wi-Fi client and Bluetooth low energy radio to remotely manage beacons across existing multi-vendor Wi-Fi networks from a central location. For IT departments, this means easier and significantly more cost-efficient management and monitoring of beacon data including battery life, power settings and software updates, Aruba said.

Orlando International Airport (MCO), which hosts nearly 38 million travelers annually, implemented Aruba’s Mobile Engagement solution in late 2014 and has since seen more than 26,000 downloads of its MCO mobile app.

“Since so many travelers now rely on mobile apps, the accuracy and reliability of the information we’re delivering is paramount,” said John Newsome, director of information technology for the Greater Orlando Airport Authority. ” Today, to ensure this accuracy, our IT staff must monitor the beacons manually which is burdensome for such an extensive deployment. Using the new Aruba Sensors, however, we’ll be able to manage our beacons remotely, saving valuable time and IT resources.”